The Job Description

I’m still learning my job description as a Christian—but God’s already written it. This post shares a personal conviction and what our job description means for us.

Some of the best times I have with God are unplanned. Wait, that’s not true. They were planned. Every moment was already planned. I was not the one with the plan, but God has had it planned in His mind all along. That’s His job. He makes the plans, and my job description is to follow it. 

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

My plan

How I got to sitting here in a coffee shop writing this is a perfect example of this kind of plan. My heart was set or my desire was to just grab some coffee, maybe sit down to make a grocery list, and run errands. Instead, God used my desire to bring me to sit down with coffee, open my Bible, and convict me.

Following this new plan was not too hard. I was already considering opening my Bible with a cup of coffee. Though I had not planned to be here this long, I had already planned for this Satuday to be a go-with-the-flow kind of day. When I began praying, God reminded me of a plan that has not been so easy to follow.

Ignoring God

How does it feel when you don’t do something you know you are supposed to do? Maybe you feel embarrassed because you didn’t read the message that said it was a surprise party, and you just ruined your friend’s birthday surprise. Maybe you feel frustration because you forgot to put the chicken in the fridge last night, and now you have to throw away all your spoiled meal prepping (me this morning). Maybe you feel anger because you didn’t do what your parents told you to do, and you are grounded as punishment.

When God tells or shows people to do something, Christians refer to this as a conviction. When people don’t do what God has obligated them to do, a conviction becomes a burden. This burdening feeling surfaces negatively, like anger, frustration, fear, sadness, embarrassment, guilt, or shame. 

The Scary Part

That is not the scariest part. The worst part is that a person can ignore this feeling until it’s too late. The Bible tells many stories of people who have walked away from God and lost the opportunity to make things right. Sometimes, a person may become numb to their conviction. The longer a person may choose to ignore what God is telling them, the harder it is for that person to change their ways. They dug a hole too deep (Psalm 1 is one of my favorite passages on this concept.) Worst-case scenario: a person is simply too late.

My Confession

I write this post because God gave me a conviction, and I finally just took my first step in responding correctly to it. I had ignored it and given excuses to not follow this conviction. As I have grown closer to God (because of my recent mission trip), my conviction has grown stronger. The closer I am to God, the better I hear His voice. 

Previously, I had this feeling that I should not do this specific action. However, this specific action is not listed explicitly as a sin in the Bible. Even more so, I was doing this specific action with Christian friends who pursue the Lord! Yet, I still had this bad feeling. During this specific action, I would say Christian things in order to maintain a Godly mindset. However, this was not enough.

I was confused and frustrated. I asked, “Why would God tell me to not do something that so many other people seemed fine with doing?” It was almost harmless. I could tell you what this specific action is now, and you might even think: Hope Joy, you are actually crazy. Yes. In fact, I was going crazy when I would do this specific action though God told me not to. 

Up to the moment of taking my first step in obedience, I had a bad attitude and low energy. I have a theory my physical health was also affected poorly because I was ignoring God. It was as if God was warning me through my mind and my body. I know God wants the best for me, and He could very well have been telling me: Hey, I’m trying to warn you. What you are struggling with now is not as bad as what will happen if you don’t turn to me with this now.

Today, I listened and responded. After I took that first step in the direction God was telling me to go, I felt so much better. My head was clearing. My attitude and spirit were lifting.

This is what happens when you choose to do what God is telling you to do instead of doing what you want. This is called repenting from sin and turning to God. This is how it feels when you finally stop pushing against God. This is what it means to be free from the bondage of sin by relying on the grace and strength of God. 

Okay, so now?

Will it be easy for me now? Yes, it would be easy for me to return to doing that specific action. Yes, it would be easy for me to follow the crowd. Yes, it would be easy to sweep my conviction under the rug, but by the grace and mercy of God, I will choose not to. Because I know who God is, I know I can continue to feel this freedom and lightness. God never allows you to be tempted with more than you can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). In fact, God Himself gives you the strength to overcome temptation as long as you choose to rely on His strength. Every time I choose God over what I want to do, it gets a little easier to obey. The answer to the question “Will it be easy for me now?” is: No, because I am not perfect, but I have faith that God will continue to finish what He has started.

Fine, fine. I’ll tell you what God told me to stop doing. Honestly, I’m scared to write this because what happens if I fail? What would happen if you read this and learned that I chose to sin again? My fear is facing others and God, who know these words I have written, but this fear is not right. My fears could very well be whispers from the accuser and deceiver (Satan). In that case, I won’t listen to my fears or take action based on them. The fears I mentioned are trivial consequences of my sin, and I have already overcome the worst-case scenario (Hell) through God. The only fear I would listen to is Godly fear, which is fear based on respecting and knowing God as powerful and just. As a Christian, I take God’s righteousness and judgment seriously, but I do not fear it or the consequences of my sin because God’s love casts out fear. Therefore, I will tell you without shame what God convicted me to do… to stop watching The Summer I Turned Pretty.

All that drama for a TV show? Yep. Why? I have my guesses as to why God convicted me to stop watching TSITP, but that is not what’s most important. My job is not to question what God does. In fact, the book of Job talks all about what our job description is. If God is truly who He is, then who are we to question what God does? If God is omniscient (knows all things), omnipotent (has incomparable power), and omnipresent (is everywhere), then God’s job description is BOSS, and our job description is to follow orders. If God is also just, righteous, and loving, then God is a boss that we can trust. The job description the book of Job gives for us is to have faith. God is gracious and listens to all our doubts and wrong assumptions (Job, along with many others, is a great example). He is patient with us when He doesn’t have to be. He allows us to ask questions. However, God clearly tells us our position is not to know everything (our human minds can’t anyways). For us, God is in the perfect position to call the shots. We might be confused or limited in perspective, but God knows the past, present, and future. God wants the best for us. God knows what is best for His children, and He makes it happen. 

Your Turn

Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Maybe you are a Christian reading this, and you are struggling with a conviction. Maybe you are tired of this sin that has grabbed a hold of you and held you tightly for too long. Maybe God has brought you here to encourage you and give you strength to finally follow through with obedience. This is not a maybe: just like you have been saved by repenting from your sins, God wants you to continue that pattern of choosing Him. In repeatedly choosing God, you can live a fulfilled life, more free from sin than every before each time you choose God.

Maybe you are not a Christian reading this, and you have doubts. Maybe God brought you here because He’s calling out to you and has been for a while. Maybe you have never taken that first step of obedience of turning to Him. This is not a maybe: I’m confident that God wants whoever is reading this to run to Him wherever you are and however you are. That tugging on your heart, burden on your soul, or sinking feeling is conviction. If you respond correctly, that feeling can turn to freedom and feel like a weight lifted. Respond by acknowledging your job description. Your job is to depend on God because you know you are broken without Him. You need God to not just feel complete, but to actually be complete. You don’t have to know every single detail and reasoning right now (again, not our job to know). What you do need to do is to answer when God calls. Otherwise, you can live longer with this burden until you finally choose to respond, or you can regret it for the rest of your life into eternity when it’s too late. Got Questions has an article explaining how to answer God's call.

I don’t know what would have happened if I did not take this first step of obedience with my conviction (confess to my friends today what God told me). I could have started to feel better regardless, and life still could have gone on. I wouldn’t know because that didn’t happen. However, I do know what it feels like to delay responding when God is calling.

The best time to respond to a conviction is the present… whenever and wherever God is calling, pick up the phone.

It’s like an unlimited 5G cellular plan with God, not a landline (Concept credit to "Praying Through A Payphone"). God wants you to come as you are.

From Psalm 8

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?